World’s first (Heidelberg) Gallus Five already hitting straps 3 months on

18 March 2026

Just 3 months on from commissioning of the world’s first Gallus Five label press – installed at Italian label specialist, Artes Etichette in December 2025 – the press is already routinely delivering 10,000 linear metre jobs, with runs of up to 60,000 linear metres proving its role as a world-leading industrial high-performance label solution.

Gallus Group is a subsidiary of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and the Gallus Five has been developed together with Heidelberg, specifically designed to bring hybrid production into mainstream production at scale, addressing volume-driven markets where consistent, industrial-level speed and efficiency are critical. The press incorporates the newly developed Heidelberg Saphira UV05 ink set, which the company describes as ‘a major advancement in ink technology’, featuring a high-pigmentation formulation that cuts ink consumption and lowers total cost of ownership.

Luca Airoldi, CEO of Artes Etichette, says: “When customer demands are urgent, quality and dependability are paramount. With this machine, it is very difficult to make mistakes.”

“With conventional technologies, if you have four or five colours, you need to factor in time to start up. With digital, you save time in setup, and material. There are no ink leftovers, no startup waste. This means that a complex job that may have previously required several hours of preparation can now be started in around 30 minutes.”

Using the press particularly for food label applications, while also supporting work across chemicals and detergents, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and durable goods, the Gallus Five is increasingly becoming Artes Etichette’s preferred platform, addressing the pressing need to deliver greater speed, flexibility and consistent quality as customer demands continue to evolve. The company’s digital journey was originally accelerated with the installation of two Gallus Labelfire presses in 2018 and 2022, followed by Europe’s first Gallus One in 2024.

The new Gallus Five also operates under Gallus’ System to Compose platform, which makes it easy for Artes Etichette to scale and adapt production as application requirements evolve, supporting greater flexibility and long-term investment security, without disrupting existing operations.

Dario Urbinati, CEO of Gallus Group, adds: “Seeing the Gallus Five deliver immediate, measurable impact for customers like Artes Etichette demonstrates how hybrid technology has moved beyond potential and niche applications, to become a true industrial production solution. Innovations only matter when they create tangible value for customers, and this installation clearly shows how the Gallus Five is enabling converters to scale digital efficiently while maintaining the highest quality standards. As more customers begin to realise these benefits, we’re excited to see this technology drive the next phase of smart, connected printing at an industrial level, across the label industry.”